Tales of Wonder and Woe: UWOL #6
 

Hi everyone, how is it going so far with the night all over the planet?

This is the thread where we talk about what is going well, and what is not exactly as planned, and everything in between.

Keep the stories coming!

Sun is still up here. Its just taking so long for it to go down. Luckily, daylight savings time ends Saturday night, so night will come earlier come Sunday night.

Our daylight saving ended last weekend.

Right now it's hardly any clouds, and lots of stars out there. Optimistic as I was, I went out with my camera wanting to capture the sky.
I learned one thing, the stars do not produce enough light for my camera.
(except for the big yellow one shining on you guys in America and Australia right now)
Wide open iris, shutter at 1/6, still not good enough.
But it was worth a try.

Try again with different zoom settings. I've got some stars last month with XL2 and 20x lens. I'll try to dig out the setting for you.

Grant, I was zoomed as wide as I could. Aperture 1.6, shutter at 1/6.
(I'm using the Canon XM2)

Maybe it was because I am in the outskirts of a city now? The stars are much more bright when I'm up in the mountains.

Well at the moment I'm struggling with ideas to say the least....this certainly is a challenge. I think it might be time for some lateral thinking!

Knew we shouldn't have got the pest controllers in to get rid of those possums!

Could have just popped the camera up through the access hatch in the ceiling and captured some Australian animals, in what is becoming their natural environment.

Plan B is developing but I need to work out how to optimise my camera for low light. Maybe someone in the Challenge with some experience in this area could enlighten us with their knowledge of filming at night, ie some hints and tips?

Trond!

What is not going exactly as planned is the theme!

Yikes!

Cat

I agree. Or it is a timing problem: last week there was a beautiful big moon and clear sky. Now it is clouds, dark dark night and rain, oh and wind blowiiing.

Just have to pop in with my hair (whats left of it) filled with greasy salmon moister, haha. I look like a fish and smell like a fish.

Catherine; I think this theme is great. I love Meryem for giving us a real challenge this time. I'm sure you people will come up with some dark and nasty stories to tell, eh?

My idea's allready start growing to something I'm not sure I'll manage within the limit. But sure I will try and I WILL deliver a short just to get my hands on one of those T-shirts Meryem promissed us (greedy norwegian) :)
My only concern is what people might think when they see/hear a mysterious guy lurking around in the bushes at night time.
This is gonna be fun.

Geir Inge

i can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear about you all learning your cameras in ways that you haven't had to push them before...even at the most basic level, like pushing the shutter to places it has never gone before. that's what this theme is all about, playing with ways of getting light in there and seeing what your camera can and cannot do...you're right geir, it brings a smile...

this is the first "Tales of Wonder and Woe" thread that has launched by discussing technical issues--cool!

Just a quick hello,
I'm in Sweden right now at a photo exhibition. Still thinking about the theme... ...hmmm, maybe I can pick up some ideas here, most of the best wildlife still-photographer from the nordic countries is present here!

To all: I think you will need some lightsource to get any decent footage. Still photos presenting beautiful nightlandscape in ambient light is shoot with shutter open for several minutes, which is impossible to archieve with a camcorder!
On the other hand, I remember Chris (Hurd) presenting some pictures taken with the XLH1 of some planets in space (can't find the link right now), so there are some possibilities.

This gonna be both fun and challenging!

Good luck to everyone!

I sounds that I’m the lucky one this round. Night dives are a pretty common thing for me. I already got the story, so now I just need to fine some interesting creatures from the deep blue. This is going to be fun!

But I would say that Aurora sound nice… I just to live up north in Sweden and we hade is every winter... but here, down south in Sweden, nobody knows what that is… only from TV.

For you other ones, tweak the camera and go out hunting… it is always something lurking in the shadows…

Markus Nord

Markus, I lived in Malmø 1998-1999, (a city in the very south end of Sweden), and during that time I saw the Aurora once in the winter.
And very rarely it has reportedly been seen as far south as Northern California.
(Learned this while watching some program on National Geographic a few years ago)

You're right. Meryem really caught us by surprise this time. I think it is a very interesting theme. But it will far from the easiest one.

OH!... thats cool.. didn't know that before... that you lived in Malmö :)

noooo... just kidding, Aurora in California, cool (maybe that was a bar or a girl in a bar with the name Aurora).